Today is already a good day. The Oilers play the Wild, we are going to be in attendance and we get to write the GDB without any editorial overlords messing with our junk.

Normally when we post an article it follows a tortured route onto the interwebs. First we write it. Then we go back and read it and dismiss 99% of what we wrote. Then we go and get a snack. Then we spend 2 hours surfing for just the right picture. Then we send it to bingofuel who edits the crap out of it, fixing spelling and grammatical errors and generally making us appear literate. When our baby finally finds its way online it looks nothing like what it did when it was born.

But not today. Bingofuel is in Vancouver, Willis is in Ft. St. John, Brownlee and Gregor are off in fantasy media land where all the buffets are free. That just leaves your ol’ pal Wanye, a computer and direct access to posting the GDB.

Let's get to it shall we?

The Minnesota Wild

First of all it pains us to no end that the Wild run the Oilers show to the degree that they do. Though the seasonal series sits at 3-2 this season it always seems that the Oil are strangely intimidated by the Wild who pose no threat sitting in 11th in the conference. Our stupid neighbours to the South run the Wild's show - up 5-0 in the seasonal series including a 3-2 win last night where they outshot the Wild 40-15. What sort of magical spell do the Wild hold over the Oil? It makes absolutely no sense.

The Wild are like that girl we all know that isn’t particularly stunning but once upon a time rejected your advances at the bar at last call. Now she has the upper hand on you and you both know who is in charge and Brother - it ain't you. Every time you see her out in public now it's clear the balance of power has tipped in her favor and as she repeatedly emotionally slaps your ego in the face you can’t help but find her more and more intimidating.

Perhaps she looks like this:

Sooner or later Mighty Oil, you need to decide what is going to happen this year. St. Louis is coming on like a team possessed and yet you are still amazingly sitting in 8th place with 7 games remaining in the season. Anaheim is also in the mix and if you let the Wild back into it tonight, it will be a 5 team battle for 2 places in the post season. For heavens sakes do us all a favor and finish the year strong.

Look at this log jam in the West. It's amazing!

Bank some friggin points Oilers! Great googly-moogly! Pretend you care just a l'il bit - if not for our collective sanity then to collect those coveted playoff bonuses that await you.

The lines

See? We can provide this kind of information too Nation. Tonight’s lines are as follows:

83-10-21
18-13-34
27-19-89
46-51-22

You’re welcome.

MacT on the verge

Here is a quick fact for you. Craig MacTavish is only one win away from his 300th career NHL victory. This is an impressive fact. It would be more impressive if he had passed this milestone about a season and a half ago as it would mean the Oilers would have been a dramatically better team during his reign. Still, beggars can’t be choosers and if you have a dictator for life you might as well celebrate his milestones with him. Right Citizens of Cuba?

Right.

See you at RX1

After a weekend of being cooped up at friggin work and not being able to have any fun whatsoever you had best believe we are going to the game tonight. And you had also best believe that we are going to have a few beersies in the process. After all what better use for $5,000 than spending it on 4 beers at the game? Hit us up on the twitter if you are there. Perhaps a free RX1 beer will find its way into your stomach if you do.

I don’t know about that penalty on Chopper, that was a suspect call. What did he do there, get the knee out a wee bit? Maybe I missed something.
Anyways 1-0 Minnesota. Roli looks pretty shaky out there.
2-0 now as I write this. Sad, sad state of affairs. WAKE UP BOYS! Throw JDD in there.
And man oh man, is 77 out there for every GA or what?

He did trip. and Gilbert panicks, trade him and sign Grebby longterm, he is not steady or consistent

if the oil wanted to improve their record - they would lobby the nhl for more friday games and avoid the sunday false starts - I am in my 40's - and the oil have stunk out the joint since 79 on Sundays.... - so if they won 5 additional games at home on fridays or mondays, then this pill would be easier to swallow ....
maybe the Dark Knight would have some influence.....

Note to gregor - it is not bacardi but pretty damn close
the Glendale Coyotes are partnering with SMIRNOFF - free ticket with vodka bottle purchase - the ALCB would clamp down this faster than the EPS on whyte avenue during a playoff run....

And now we're in 10th. This was a game the guys should have been pouring the coals to from the drop of the puck. They came alive in the 3rd but it's becoming more and more obvious our team cannot handle the pressure.

I guess the upside for alot of people here is that MacT will probably retire if we don't make the 2nd season. And that's looking more likely every day.

No Jagr... want nothing more than to not see Jagr in an oilers jersey.. He will cost too much, and he is a proven lazy prick.... And defence core is good.. Don't forget that Visnovsky is out... He will be back next year and make them good... We don't need an overhaul there... We do need some heart though... Maybe the wizard of Katz can help us get a heart.

Just watched MacT's post game interview. He's pissed and completely frustrated, especially by the blatant lack of shooting when you get a chance (Grebs). He also looked like a beaten man. You don't have to worry about FMNF any more. I'm almost 100% sure he'll fire himself.

IMO the biggest thing they need is to be coached into playing the roles that they are best suited for.. I'm personally getting tired of hearing them talk about what they need to do to defend other teams... At some point, shouldn't they be making other teams adapt to their game? This is not a team of checkers.. Their skill should be exploited to it's fullest extent, and it hasn't been.. MacTavish is using a defence first mentality with offensive players... That doesn't seem very logical.

i understand that they need to be capable of playing a shut down game, and I fully support that.. But before they shut anyone down, they need to get a lead!

I'm not giving up on the playoffs yet, but I hope the off-season brings a change of philosophy.

On the pre game CHED was wondering why the atmosphere has been bad at Rexal this year.The way this team plays I am surprised people are still showing up. Jeckly and Hyde night in night out this team has a way of pissing you off and frustrating you.Management has sat on its ass all year doing nothing,the coach lost the room back in November yet he still is here,another off season with empty promises and Oiler propoganda bull shit

README: After listening to MacT answer the media questions regarding tonights hockey failure, it is the same excuse he used before. The excuse MacT stated was (as I paraphrase) "the players are not intensive enough and not playing to their abilities to what the game dictates...". I truly feel empathy for his plight that is no one cares more for this hockey team to win than him. The problem with his statement is I do not believe the players are taking it easy and not playing intensely because it is so obvious even to the uninterested the gravity of the situation and the implication of a lost game. The players knew what is at stake. Perhaps, the bottomline is this - MacT game plan against Lemaire's or Hitchcock's type systems are not suitable and fails more times than not. MacT defensive system really chokes up the offensive and skilled players such as Hemsky, Gagner, Nilsson, Penner, Cogs, and perhaps Kotaik and O'Sullivan that they do not take offensive risk to score but play shutdown defense. It is too bad MacT cannot have more than a tunnel vision. His coaching system has to be flexible and allow offensive minded players to take the reins. His system does not allow for that but punishes those that make defensive mistakes. It seems there is no leader to take charge offensively and just lead by example. This is a young team therefore it needs a strong leader to carry the charge. So MacT, please let the players play and from that they can gain enough confidence to each take a rein.

Enough is enough. When they miss the playoffs, at least a new coach might be in the offing. Perhaps one that can figure out how not to be pwned by the same team 4 years and running. I hope the changes go further: our best player is a 39-year-old goaile. Does that seem like a good thing to anyone?